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First uploaded 28 September 2002 as RealMedia file. |
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Srila
Bhakti Sundar Govinda 19th World Tour in Russia Public
lecture in Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, St. Petersburg
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All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga It is. You do. Everything will come to you. A public lecture given in St. Petersburg, Russia, by Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj on 11th August 2002, during his 19th World Tour Krishna consciousness already entered into Russia. Everywhere there is some pollution coming into religion, but I think that will not come to Russia. That hope is coming through this thought, this theory, that they are starting with Harinama Sankirttan, but not with so many Vedic practices. In the Vedas so many rules and regulations are given for the upliftment of the conditioned souls, but in this age of Kali-yuga these practices are only very little applicable. In the Vedas is given varnashram under the guidance of Manu-Samhita. The rules and regulations of Vedic culture is running in India. The varnashram system is not bad, it is very good for the conditioned soul. Varna means: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, antarya, etc.; and ashram means the spiritual status: brahmachari, grihasta, vanaprastha and sannyasa. It is like a staircase to go upward, but everything is coming from the wills of Lord Krishna. Krishna Himself told in Srimad Bhagavad-gita:
"I divided these four divisions. I made it, but that arrangement is done through guna and karmma." Guna means qualities, and karmma means their activities. Brahmanas have particular qualities: samo, damas, tapa, saucham, etc. (vide Bg. 18:42). Ksastriyas have some qualities, vaisyas and sudras have qualities, it is written in Srimad Bhagavad-gita. Brahmachari, grihasta, vanaprastha and sannyasa, that also is organised by the Lord's wills. You have read, maybe, the ten kinds of offences in Padma-Purana. When I am initiating, I am giving that list to everyone, and there one item is sruti-sastra-nindanam, which means it is an offence to abuse the Scriptural advice to the jiva souls. What is descending as law from the Lord, that must be honourable and honoured by everyone. But in this age, a proper Vedic practitioner is very rare, then the Vedic practising process has been made very simple by Bhagavan Lord Krishna for this ago only, that is: through Sankirttan the jiva soul will get every good result. In India we are seeing they are following so many spiritual sacrifices, but following for what? For Svarga-loka, Maha-loka, Jana-loka, Tapa-loka, Satya-loka, and extremely they are following for nirvises, Brahma-loka. But Brahma-loka's position is not playful of Lord Krishna [i.e. does not have the playful Pastimes of Lord Krishna]. There, they [the souls] are all merging and almost they are demolished. But if we realise, we can see that the form of Brahma-loka is the effulgence of Paravyoma. Paravyoma means the transcendental world. From here we observe the effulgence of the sun, but we cannot enter into the sun because there is such extreme heat always giving light, and effulgence is coming through that. Then the final decision of the Vedas has come in this way: we can meditate on the Lord's Abode, the Lord's Pastimes, everything, but entering that conscious world the Scriptures say:
That effulgence as Brahmaloka, inside there the playful Lord is playing with His paraphernalia and associates. The Vedic research knowledge said this place where we are living is one brahmanda, one universe, one of millions of universes existing in that environment which is one fourth of the whole creation. Three kinds of power are working. Power, and Powerful. Powerful is Lord Sri Krishna, and power is His energy. That energy is fully manifested as chit-shakti, as jiva-shakti, and as maya-shakti, and these types of universes, of which there are so many, are living within maya-shakti. In the middle is the jiva-shakti and above the jiva-shakti is living God's abode, the transcendental abode. There are so many transcendental abodes within that part of three-fourths of creation. We know those by the names of Vaikuntha-loka, as Paravyoma, and the God has so many manifestations, as Rama, Nrisimha, Vamana, etc., living within that part. Actually we cannot conceive that, we cannot think that, we cannot adjust that within our knowledge, and it is impossible for the jiva soul to think of that, but it is existing. And we have the opportunity to proceed to that abode because we are manifested from the middle part -- the marginal potency. When the marginal potency is activated, all jiva souls are coming out, and seeing the 'lightful' place, the transcendental place, they are going naturally to the light. But some unfortunate souls, they look to the opposite side where the illusory environment is playful. That is called Maya-loka. Maya-loka means the illusory environment. Then, when the jiva souls are jumping to Maya, then Maya is catching them. So many things they are temporarily getting there including a pleasant life. Ahara-nidra-bhaya....[Eating, sleeping, fearing....] Indriya tarpan means enjoyment, everything. There temporarily they are getting, and again and again taking birth and death. It is the nature of creation of Maya-loka, and at present we are there, unfortunately. And for them this arrangement is made by the Lord, the Vedic knowledge and system. If we follow that procedure we can get relief from this illusory environment and can enter into the transcendental abode of the Lord. From here, for proceeding to the transcendental abode there is no other way. But it is simplified by the Lord who has given His extraordinary mercy to us. That mercy has come through His own Divine Self, the Transcendental Divine Form of the Lord, that is Harinama Sankirttan. That is, the followers of Vedic literature knowledge are getting upliftment step by step, but for this age of Kali-yuga, this arrangement is made by the Lord as an elevator because by the illusory environment the jiva souls are almost invalid and cannot do the Vedic practices properly. For them this system as an elevator is very much helpful for us because it is the transcendental vibration Form of the Lord. Then if we will get, through the faith, love and affection, it will reveal in our heart and we will get the transcendental power to get liberation from this illusory position and we can enter into the transcendental abode of the Lord. Here we are suffering from death and birth, happiness and sadness, so many things, but there in the transcendental abode all is beautiful, ecstatic, and life is so happy. Nothing there is unpleasant, and nothing there is unhappiness. I cannot fully express that Lord's abode in English because I am very poor in English. But in Srimad Bhagavad-gita some identity is given, and in Brahma-Samhita there is full knowledge given about that transcendental world. And you are so fortunate that at present you have got that Bhagavad-gita in Russian language, and many books also you have got in Russian language about knowledge of that transcendental world. If you read that with faith and attention, love and affection, you must be benefited. I only cannot say "If." "It is. You do." That is my request to you all: "You do this. You read it," then you will get that knowledge about the transcendental world. Not only knowledge of the spiritual world, everything will come to you. --Transcribed by Mahananda dasa Bhakti Ranjan |
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| Audio. Made possible on our Website with the much appreciated technical assistance of Prabhu Madhusudan, whose extensive audio archive at http://krsna.cc is the nourishment of countless fortunate souls. |
Newly posted (December 2011) as an mp3 audio file (earlier it was only available as RealMedia) |
 Sri
Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip.http://scsmath.com |